


Songs that Podrick Sang

by Sookiestark



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Songs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-10
Updated: 2020-02-23
Packaged: 2020-02-29 16:56:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18782332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sookiestark/pseuds/Sookiestark
Summary: Glimpses in Podrick's life starting with his life on the road with Brienne. As the chapters progress, it will be more about Podrick and Arya.





	1. Pretty Peggy

**Author's Note:**

> So, this isn't in the same universe as my story Serving Others but it is super close. I wrote that for a friend and I have been overwhelmed by all the support for Podrya. 
> 
> Ser Lorimer is the hedge knight who Pod was in service with before he met Tyrion. 
> 
> Have patience with me- I am a bit of a slow writer but it will come. The first two or three songs will come from different places or the show but I am hopeful to write some of the lyrics at some point. 
> 
> This song Pretty Peggy is a very old folk song from England (I Think..)

Pod realized that his Lady Brienne was nothing like Lord Tyrion. Lord Tyrion liked warm fires and good conversations. Lord Tyrion liked laughter and getting to know people. Podrick wondered where Lord Tyrion was and how he was doing since his escape from King’s Landing. Lord Tyrion like wine and a full belly. He couldn’t imagine that Lord Tyrion was enjoying the hardships of rough travel. Pod wasn't.

 

Lady Brienne, though she hated when he called her that, did not care if they ate once a day. She did not care if they were cold and miserable in the rain. She did not like wine. She did not care if he grew sore in his saddle from riding. She did not like idle conversation and she never smiled. Pod believed she did not like him all that much. But she did like honor and fighting. Every morning, she would teach him before they rode. 

Brienne cared about only one thing, her vow to Jaime Lannister. She had vowed to find the Stark girls and bring them safely to their bastard brother at Castle Black. Across the riverlands and crownlands, they rode tirelessly scouring the countryside looking for any clues to where they had disappeared to. It had been almost a moon and they hadn’t found any clues.

It was a long road and there was little to do except ride behind this big quiet woman who seemed to be perpetually scowling. It was probably after the first moon’s passing that the boredom overtook him and Podrick could take it no longer. It was a long road and he was bored. 

They had just passed a village when the song came to him. So Pod started to sing,

 

"There was a rich lord out riding one day  
When he spied Pretty Peggy all by the highway.  
He called to his man and loudly did say,  
"There's a pretty fair damsel, go bring her this way." 

"There's fifty gold dollars if you will comply  
All in my bedchamber this night for to lie."  
At the sight of the gold, she gave her consent.  
So into this bedchamber pretty Peggy she went. 

She played with his old boy with her lily-white hand  
Which caused every hair on this old boy to stand,...."

 

Brienne turned around and her face was red, “Pod, what are you singing? Stop!”

Pod had not thought about what he was singing. Ser Lorimer had liked the dirty songs the best. He remembered how Ser Lorimer would laugh to hear him sing words that burn a Septon's ears. Of course, Brienne was nothin like Ser Lorimer. In fact, he probably offended her by the words of this song.

Pod looked at down at the horse. He had disappointed her again, just like when he cooked the rabbit with the skin still on or couldn’t lead his horse. Pod wondered if he was stupid or just inept. When Ser Lorimer had been drunk, sometimes he would call Pod stupid. Once he had said, the best parts of Pod had dripped down his whore of a mother’s legs. Perhaps, he should have stayed in King’s Landing. He would never be useful to this powerful, strange, warrior lady. 

Pod felt his throat tighten like he had swallowed a large rock. ”I am sorry.” 

Suddenly, he heard Brienne speak, “Pod, I did not know you could sing. My father is the Lord of Tarth and he always loved a good song. Tarth might want for many things but there were always musicians in my father’s hall. You have a nice voice.” 

Pod looked at her and smiled, “I have many talents... They are just hard to find. Perhaps, another song might help the road pass easier, my Lady? Do you have any favorites?”

Brienne looked thoughtful. “A song or two wouldn’t be too bad. The road can be tedious. Perhaps, something a bit less… How about The Hammer and the Anvil? Do you know that one?”

 

Pod smiled and nodded. Following behind her, he sang the song of Redgrass Field and the brothers, Baelor Breakspear and Maekar Targaryen


	2. Hands of Gold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place right after they rescue Sansa and Theon from the Bolton men. Theon has left and They are making their way to the Wall.

Lady Sansa was cold and she looked miserable. It was dark and they were setting up camp off the road in the woods. Sansa would often have the most unreadable face but, sitting on a log and looking at the snow as Pod set up the tent, she was shivering and looked hopeless. Even though they were four days ride from Winterfell, Brienne had not let them build a fire. Every night as they built a camp off the road, Pod would look at the tall woman, almost pleading, and ask if he should collect wood for a fire. Every night, Brienne would shake her head no in reply. 

He took it as a sign that danger was still too close. Ramsay Bolton could find them more easily from the smoke and Brienne did not know if they could prevail against his dogs and his men. So, they had slept beside each other in the tent, shivering in the few blankets they had. One person would always keep watch, either Brienne or Pod. 

Pod did not know which he disliked more; shivering in the cold night and keeping watch or the awkward bundling beside Lady Sansa inside the tent on the cold ground. Pod thought it might be sleeping next to Lady Sansa. He had never slept so near a lady and not anyone as pretty as Sansa, At first, trying to avoid the awkwardness, Pod had been determined to keep watch, every night, all night, but Brienne would not allow it. On that first night, Brienne’s insistence to take the first shift had only highlighted her fear. As the squire of this warrior woman who had never feared anything, it made Pod more anxious. 

On the first night, Pod had taken one of their precious few blankets and rolled it up to make a barrier to lay between him and Sansa. Smiling at her, he had handed her two blankets and taken one for himself. 

Sansa had looked at him and then she spoke, “Podrick Payne...You were Lord Tyrion’s squire, weren't you?” 

Pod had smiled back, “I was, my lady. I helped him at the Battle of Blackwater. After he was imprisoned, Lord Tyrion sent me with Brienne to keep me safe.”

Sansa looked at him. “We can share the blankets and my cloak. There is no reason to freeze for modesty. Body heat will keep us alive. Come unroll this and we will lay it beneath us.”

After that, every night during his turn to sleep, Pod would lay beside Lady Sansa and listen to her sleep. She would always turn her back to him and he would sleep close to her under the blankets but not too close. One morning, when Brienne had woken them, Pod had woken to his arm around her and his cock hard against her. Quickly, he had rolled over to hide it, ashamed. Lady Sansa had pretended to not notice but after that morning, Pod had been more anxious about sleeping near her. After all, Pod did not want to do anything dishonorable. 

However, tonight, when Pod was finishing setting up the tent, Brienne came out of the woods with two rabbits she caught and an armful of wood to start a fire. Even Sansa’s face lightened when she saw the wood. It meant more than just heat. It meant that Brienne felt that they were safe enough to take the risk. This unspoken truth made the mood of the weary fugitives almost festive. 

As they sat in the woods munching the cooked rabbit, Pod went to his saddlebags. He had been sewing Sansa some fingerless gloves with some old cloth he had had. They were nothing to look at but he had even taken some fur and sewn it on the inside. The gloves would help keep her fingers warm.

Pod sat and handed them to Sansa. “My lady, they are rough and ill-made but I have seen how red your fingers are as we ride. These will help as the further north we go.”

Lady Sansa looked at them, running her fingers over his stitches. She smiled, “Thank you, Pod. Thank you so much.”

Brienne had almost smiled at him. Pod felt the warm sense of satisfaction at serving his lady, both Brienne, and Lady Sansa well, and protecting them as well as he could. 

Watching the fire reach up to the dark sky, Pod felt full, warm, and satisfied. The sky was clear and the stars were coming out like sparks rising from the fire. Suddenly, Pod wanted to sing and so he sang...

 

He rode through the streets of the city  
Down from his hill on high  
O' er the winds and the steps and the cobble  
He rode to woman's sigh  
For she was his secret treasure  
She was his shame and his bliss  
And a chain and a keep are nothing  
Compared to a woman's kiss  
For a hands of gold are always cold  
But a woman's hands are warm  
For a hands of gold are always cold  
But a woman's hands are warm… 

Sansa looked at him, almost amazed at his voice. Pod felt a blush rise to his cheeks. Lady Sansa spoke, “Pod, I didn’t know you could sing. You have a wonderful voice. ”

Pod thanked her for the kind words. As they sat there, warm by the fire, Pod sang a few more songs. Somehow even though they were cold, the songs made him warmer and by their faces they all seemed happier because of it. 

 

O' er the winds and the steps and the cobble  
He rode to woman's sigh  
For she was his secret treasure  
She was his shame and his bliss  
And a chain and a keep are nothing  
Compared to a woman's kiss  
For a hands of gold are always cold  
But a woman's hands are warm  
For a hands of gold are always cold  
But a woman's hands are warm… 


	3. A Kiss Like Your Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place after Brienne and Jaime see each other at the siege of Riverrun. I know this story is about Arya and Pod but I promise the next chapter will be them...
> 
> So the song is actually "A Kiss Like Your Kiss" by Lucinda Williams. The next song is a bit more lighthearted.

Podrick is sitting huddling by the miserable fire in the early night as the mist gathers around them. The rain has started to drizzle but he doesn’t mind it. The rain here is not cold like it is in the North. It is sweet and slightly enjoyable. The air is crisp and cool but gentle enough. He knows they are returning to the North but he wants to enjoy the milder weather while he is here in the Riverlands. 

After Riverrun, they rowed down the Red Fork to a spot in the woods where they could abandon the river and head back to the road. Brienne was sullen and he thought it might be good for them to get some rest here before continuing their journey. Pod thinks she would be nervous like she was before they went to Riverrun, alert for danger, wary for men. After all, Riverrun is not too far and there is a fresh Lannister army now. It would not take them long to be captured, two against an army is no fight. 

But, instead of anxiety or nervousness, Brienne is surly, short-tempered, and mostly silent. Earlier, she kicked one of the tree trunks and seemed overly annoyed with him when he tried to fish for their dinner. Pod is not a good fisherman so he understands why she might be short with him. He wonders if it is because they did not persuade the Blackfish to come North and now, it is almost certain that the man is dead. He wonders if it is something else. He has tried to stop thinking about it but he cannot. He is certain Brienne wants to return North. Lady Sansa is alone, unprotected. They are about to fight a huge battle and she was unable to get the army of Riverrun. Perhaps, it is just a failure that has brought on her mood. 

But there is more than that heaviness that sits on Brienne's shoulders in the night.

Thinking on the day's events, Pod remembers them escaping Riverrun and the Lannister army. He had been rowing feverishly trying to get away from Riverrun as the King’s men poured into it, killing all the loyal Tully soldiers. He had been focused on rowing, silently and steady down the Red Fork. He had glanced up to see Brienne looking back at the ramparts. Her hand was raised, palm out. In the distance was a slash of white and gold in the grey of the rain and dark of the approaching night. Pod knew who the figure was. Jaime Lannister looking like a King of old. But Jaime Lannister was trying to stop them or call to the men. Instead, the man was mimicking the gesture of Brienne; hand up, palm out. They were waving, but it was more; a promise, a supplication, a shared grief. 

Immediately, Pod had looked back at the oars and kept rowing. When he looked back up, Brienne had had a troubled look on her face. He did not know why but he felt like he witnessed something he shouldn't have seen.

Brienne sits across from him, removing some of her armor, readying herself to sleep. Her hair is as light as starlight and her face is as unreadable as the moon. Pod looked at the fire, poking it absently with a stick. Suddenly, Pod heard the words that Bronn had said to him earlier. "They are probably fucking right... I'd fuck her, wouldn't you?... Well, he'd fuck her and she would fuck him." 

Pod had been glad to see Bronn, still bragging and breathing. Bronn's face had a few more weathered lines on it but he looked well-fed and healthy. Bronn's talk was the kind of speech, familiar in camps of men, talk of women, sex, ale, fights, and steel. Pod had grown up around this kind of language and it was familiar to him, easy. But since he had been traveling with Brienne he had forgotten how men spoke about women. Protective of Brienne's honor, Pod had felt a brief flash of anger and then he had realized it was just Bronn's manners. Bronn meant no harm and anyway, Pod could not beat him in a fight.

Looking at her in the golden light of the fire, Pod wondered if Brienne had slept with Jaime Lannister this very day and that was what was making her so upset. Maybe, Jaime had seduced her or maybe, she had not wanted to leave him. Maybe, Brienne was having second thoughts about returning North. 

Brienne moved closer to Pod as she worked. Finally, when she could not do it all herself, she said "Pod, help me."

Pod helped her unbuckle the straps and ties. It was like second nature to him. He saw the long expanse of her neck as she sat against him. Bronn had insinuated that Brienne might want Pod to sleep with her, that Pod might want to fuck her. There had been many nights that Pod and Brienne had slept back to back to get keep the heat between them. Sometimes, at night, when she was softly snoring beside him, when he was absolutely certain she was sleeping, sometimes he would take himself in his hand. 

Pod sometimes thought of those three lovely girls, the whores in King's Landing and the night they all shared. After rescuing Lady Sansa from Winterfell, sometimes he would imagine Sansa coming to him in his tiny room at Castle Black, thanking him for his courage, undressing before him. Then, when she was completely naked, Sansa would whisper in his ear, "Let me show you how grateful I am. Show me. Teach me. I am your prize. All yours..."

The Sansa fantasy would always make him feel a little ashamed in the morning. Sometimes, he would dream about the wildling spearwives. A woman strong enough to hold him down and make him do what she wanted, what she needed. He wondered if Brienne ever touched herself when he was asleep and if she did, did she ever think of him? Suddenly, he imagined her turning around and saying, "Pod, I need you to fuck me. I need a man. Help me." 

Pod felt his cock harden. He was glad he had finished helping her remove her armor because he did not want her to be close and notice his erection. Pod was grateful the darkness might cover his blush. 

Brienne looked at her hands and then the clear starry night. Finally, she spoke, "Pod?"

"Yes.."

"Would you sing a song?"

Pod thought of Jaime Lannister and his golden hand. He thought of Brienne, how pale her skin would be in the darkness and how she would look, soft in the dark. Pod began to sing. 

"Merry Meggette was a bawdy merry maid and a bawdy merry maid was she.

She called for a cup and she called for a bowl and she called for strapping lads three...  


Brienne had looked at him, a warning glance “Pod... nothing dirty. Something sweet..."

Pod looked at her and she seemed sad. And then, Pod sang...

There will never be so perfect a spring  
We will never see a yellow so rich  
The grass will never be quite so green  
There will never be a kiss like your kiss.

There will never be a summer so complete  
We will never see colors like this  
Berries will never taste as sweet  
There will never be a kiss like your kiss

There will never be an autumn so vivid and warm  
So red, so golden, so crisp  
Never see a color in aubergine  
There will never be a kiss like your kiss.

There will never be a winter quite so true  
When the sky is painted with gifts  
And there will never be a moon so painted and blue.  
There will never be a kiss like your kiss. 

Brienne looked up at the sky. She stretched her legs and smiled. "Thank you."

Pod looked at the stars. The sky was clearing up. He wondered if he would ever begin to understand what that wave really meant.


	4. My Girl's a King's Lander

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So this takes place right after the Arya comes back to Winterfell but before Jon gets back from Dragonstone...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised a chapter for February--

Pod was enjoying the day. It was cold in Winterfell, cold enough that you had to stomp your feet to keep the blood from freezing. He had come out here to escape the rush of people and activity inside the keep, the constant push of refugees fleeing from the army of the dead, the activity of rehousing them, of weapon-making, of planning and preparing for a unwinnable war, the taste of fear in the air as it seemed they waited for certain death. It was all too much. 

So he came out here to the wolfswood and the river to do some ice fishing and catch some fish. Pod was not a very good fisherman but he liked the quietness of the wood. His horse waited for him on the shore, munching whatever brown grass it could find. He had brought an old dog that had befriended him and now, followed him wherever he went. He was a stout brown fellow and Pod had named the dog, Jack. 

Sitting on the frozen lake on one of the little stools left here, Pod waited over the small opening that had been cut in the river. Winterfell’s men had been taking turns fishing at this spot to both add to the food supply of the North and to get away from the crowded quarters of Winterfell. Jack curled on an old blanket beside him. In his bag, he had a small container of ale that he had brought as well as some cheese and bread. The sun was shining even if it was cold enough to see your breath. Pod thought that this might be a very fine day. 

To pass the time, Pod began to sing, 

“My girl’s a tavern girl. 

She's a Kingslander... I do just anything to keep her in style

She's got a pair of legs just like to ale kegs 

I'd do just anything to keep her dressed fine...

My girl's a tavern girl.

She’s a Kingslander... I do just anything to keep her in style.

She’s gotta set of thighs as wide as a dragon's eyes. 

She's got a set of hips as wide as a battleship.

I do just anything to keep her in style.”

 

At this, a girl walked from the woods, smiling. Pod almost jumped. After all, Winterfell couldn’t stop talking about the dead walking. Now, was not the best time for folks to wander out of the woods. The girl had been silent and he had not heard her steps walking. Neither had Jack or his horse. When Jack saw her, he barked once at the sight of her but stayed by Pod’s side.

Pod recognized her the moment he saw her. It was Lady Arya Stark, recently returned home to Winterfell. He had seen her since she arrived. Lady Arya was dark-haired and had eyes as big as a glass. She was a small slight thing but he had watched her fight Brienne and he knew that she was dangerous regardless of her size. Lady Arya was as different from Lady Sansa as a girl could be, except maybe for how dangerous they both were. 

"I like your song," she said, almost apologetically. "There was a similar song about Volantis women. I heard it in Braavos."

 

Pod spoke, rising to his feet, stumbling over his words, "I am sorry, my lady. I would not have sung something so vulgar if I knew you could hear. I will leave..” 

"No, you don't have to leave it was I who bothered you Ser...?" 

Pod felt the blush rise up his cheeks, “Podrick Payne and I am no knight, Lady Arya.”

“Well, Podrick, I am no lady. Arya will do. Podrick, you are Brienne’s boy, aren’t you? I saw you with her.” 

Pod felt his face flush even brighter as he looked in her grey eyes. Arya had just said she saw him and he could call her by her first name and in the same sentence, she had called him a boy. “I am her squire, my lady. You can call me Pod. Everyone does.”

“You helped rescue Sansa from the Boltons?”

“Yes, we did.”

Arya smiled and when she did, Pod’s heart flipped in his chest. Her skin was so white and for a second, he wondered how soft it would be to touch. 

Arya pointed at the dog, “What’s your dog’s name?”

“Jack.. I don’t know if he’s mine but he wandered in with the refugees and adopted me. Go on, Jack.”

Jack wandered over to Arya, wagging his tail warily but happily enough. Arya laughed and patted him on the head. She stepped closer to Pod, “Is that ale, Pod?”

“Yes, milad...Arya. Would you like some? I have some cheese as well. I just came here to get away from all the noise.”

Arya smiled again and Pod forgot about the cold, “I know.. It is so busy and crowded. I had to get away for a while. Yes, I would love some. And more of your song. Would that be okay?”

Pod smiled sitting on the extra stool so that Arya could have the warm one. “I think that would be very fine.”

"My girl’s a tavern girl. 

She's a Kingslander... I do just anything to keep her in style.

She's gotta pair of tits....."


	5. One I Love, Two I Love, Three I Love

Pod was in the godswood. He was sitting under the weirwood tree listening to Arya's breath. She was sitting against the weirwood beside him. For the last few weeks, they had formed an unlikely friendship. Pod could not really say why it had started. For whatever reason, Arya would seek him out at some part of the day. 

At first, he thought maybe she thought he would be a good sparring partner. However, after the first time they had practiced, Pod had found his face in the dirt and her dagger at his throat and he had been certain she would not come to find him again. But the next day, she had found him in the stables, tending to Brienne’s horse. Arya never mentioned sparring again and Pod thought that would be better anyway. After all, Arya was a much better fighter. 

Arya was unlike anyone he had ever met. She was funny and smart as well as being a terrific warrior. However, she was often slow to smile and the cold look behind her eyes frightened most of the people she encountered. Arya was never cold and it seemed as if she was never afraid. She wasn’t just pretending to be brave but it seemed as if she was actually not afraid of anything. 

Pod, on the other hand, was afraid of everything. He was afraid of Jon Snow’s big white direwolf. He was afraid to go into the crypts and Arya had to tease him to get him to go there one day. He was a passable warrior but he still could win as often as lose. Pod was afraid of the army of the dead and at the mention of it, he would feel trapped in this snowy castle, trapped in fear, like a rabbit in a wolf’s mouth. Mostly, he was afraid he would let Brienne down, that he would let Lady Sansa down, and that Arya would one day look at him with disappointment. 

However, Pod would push out his fears of failure out of his head when they were together. After all, his days were filled with training new soldiers and doing whatever Brienne needed him to do for her. Arya was the bright spot in most of his days. She would turn up and look to Brienne and Pod would be free to go with her on whatever mischief Arya had planned. Arya always seemed to have mischief planned, as if she was still a child and not a woman grown. Pod had never had a childhood as she had, so whether it was climbing ramparts or stealing ale or lacing the porridge with Dornish peppers, Pod was always her partner in whatever she had planned. 

Pod would have thought Brienne would have talked to him about his friendship with Arya. After all, she had no chaperone and they spent a great deal of time together alone and unsupervised. But Brienne never did. Lady Sansa would watch them from the corners of her eyes as she was oft to do. Once Lady Sansa had called him to her solar to speak of their friendship.

Lady Sansa had spoken, “Pod, tell me of you and Arya’s friendship. What do you do?”

“My lady, I am a man of honor. I have not touched her. We are friends. Sometimes, we play simple pranks. Sometimes, we sing or fish or ride. Most of the time we talk.”

Sansa seemed curious, “Pod, what do you and my sister speak of? “

Pod spoke, very aware of Lady Sansa’s gaze, “She tells me of Braavos, of the Brotherhood without banners, of her friends on her journey; the Hound, Yoren of the Night’s Watch, Hot Pie, Gendry, Lord Beric. We talk of how to fix a lame mule, how to gut a fish, how to stab a man once and kill him. We talk about her likes and her dislikes. She does not like the smell of cooked cabbage but she lokes apple tarts. We talk of her hopes and her dreams.”

“Pray tell, Good Pod, what are my sister’s dreams?”

 

Pod thought a moment. He thought to tell Lady Sansa he could not tell her Arya’s dreams. It was a secret she shared with him. However then, Pod thought of his oath of loyalty to Lady Sansa Stark and the North. Lady Sansa would keep a secret and understand her sister. Pod spoke, “My Lady, you must promise not tell. Arya told me in confidence. I would not want to betray that."

Sansa nodded, openly pleased at Pod's loyalty. Pod answered his Lady."She dreams of killing Queen Cersei, the last name on her list, and of traveling the Sunset Sea to see what lies beyond.”

Sansa’s face looked troubled, “Pod, do not speak of that outside of this room. It is fine that you told me because I hold my sister dear but we cannot have Queen Cersei hear of this. There are some even here at Winterfell who would let King’s Landing know of such things. Thank you for your confidence. It seems you know a great deal about my sister. Perhaps, she and I should speak like you and she does.”

Pod though immediately of Lord Baelish and the way his eyes narrowed anytime he saw Arya and Sansa speak. Concerned that he had misspoken, Pod stumbled over his words trying to correct any slight. “My lady, I have been in your service for a long time. I am grateful to you. Arya loves her family above all things and she thinks you to be a fine Lady of Winterfell. I know it can be difficult for her to speak but she loves her family above all.”

Sansa smiled, “Pod, I am glad my sister has chosen to be your friend. She needs someone to speak to and you will be a good and trustworthy friend." 

 

Arya had found him today and taken him to the godswood today. Without speaking, she had spread a cloak and they had both sat against the tree, side by side. Pod wasn’t sure if he was such a good friend anymore. He had started to daydream about Arya, kissing him, touching him. Pod would see her in his mind; Arya’s hair down and her face flush, her grey eyes like the sky, endless. Sometimes, she would kiss him. Sometimes, in his dream, Pod would win some great battle and then, he would sweep her off her feet and kiss her. Once, while he slept, he had dreamed of Sansa and Arya kissing him, naked in bed. When he had woke, Pod had been flushed with shame but still finished in his hand from the idea of it. 

Pod was entertaining a daydream where she was kissing him gently in the snow. He was woken from his daydream by the sound of her voice, “Pod, look!”

Opening his eyes, he saw Arya had a white flower with petals folded down in her hand. Arya continued, “Look I found it in the snow. Sometimes, the hot springs will make flowers sprout here, even in winter.”

Pod smiled, “It is fantastic! We have these flowers in the westerlands. We call them snowdrops.”

She laughed and leaned into him. “Did you ever play the game? Where you pluck the petals and tell your fortune?"

Arya spoke in a singsong voice but did not pluck the petals.

"One I love   
Two I love  
Three, I love, I say;  
Four, I love with all my heart;  
Five, I cast away;  
Six, he loves; seven, she loves;  
Eight, both love;  
Nine, he comes; ten, he tarries;  
Eleven, he courts;  
And twelve, he marries."

At the end of the song, Arya looked into Pod’s eyes and Pod felt a tightness in his thoart. “Arya, you didn’t pull the petals.”

She smiled softly, “I don’t need to. Most of the time snowdrops have four petals. Four, I love with all my heart.”

At this, Arya leaned over and kissed him. The kiss was gentle at first. But when her tongue touched his lip, Pod pulled her to him, kissing her fiercely. When they pulled away, breathless, Pod sang softly against her ear,

"One I love   
Two I love  
Three, I love, I say;  
Four, I love with all my heart;  
Five, here I will stay..."


End file.
